I don't care if Wikipedia claims that this book is "highly praised" and "still enjoyed"; I, personally, will neither praise nor enjoy it. I found its endless descriptions of yachting practices tedious--though, according to all the sources I've read, perfectly correct--and its supposed plot similarly dull. Though the idea--Germany launching a naval invasion of England--is an exciting one, and probably quite revolutionary for its time, pre-World War I, the execution of the idea left much to be desired. Maybe I was just bored into a stupor by long pages detailing sails, swells, jibs, ropes, and hulls (or whatever other nautical terminology you care to insert here), but the plot seemed rather confused and confusion; I couldn't keep track, by the end, of who was good or bad--or, rather, who was Good and who was Boese. The ending, I'm sure, wrapped things up neaty--if I remember correctly, he prevented the invasion and got the girl--but I was just too mind-numbed by two hundred pages of accurate coastline description to really care.
So, in sum: a minor classic, yes. A significant book, politically? Actually, yes. A romping good read? No.
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